


got a short list of ex lovers

by lindsayjones



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: also hi i've literally never written fanfic before where the hell did this come from, no beta we die like women
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:08:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26614981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lindsayjones/pseuds/lindsayjones
Summary: “Eh, not necessarily,” Reggie said distractedly, “Luke and Alex broke up and it’s never really been weird between them.”The three teenagers around the couch froze.(or- someone said luke and alex are exes and my brain short circuited)
Relationships: previous Luke Patterson/Alex (JATP)
Comments: 56
Kudos: 972





	got a short list of ex lovers

**Author's Note:**

> did i just write fanfiction in 2020, the year of our lord and savior jesus christ may he forever reign amen? fuck man i guess i did.
> 
> am i supposed to say where the title came from here? it's obviously a play on tswift cmon guys

The first thing Julie did when she got back from school was faceplant into the couch.

“Umm, hi to you too?” Luke teased from where he was sitting on the piano, looking through a pile of unfinished songs.

Julie groaned, but didn’t move.

“Rough day at school?” Alex asked.

“God, I’m so happy we’re done with high school,” said Reggie. “I think if I had to take another history test I would literally die.”

Julie lifted up her head. “You already literally died, Reg, remember?” She gestured to where he was currently sticking his hand through the closed window, trying to pick the flowers blooming on the ledge and bring them inside.

“Oh, yeah,” he chuckled while the other boys rolled their eyes.

Luke jumped down off the piano to kneel down next to Julie’s head.

“Is everything alright?” he asked, concern shining in his eyes.

“Yeah, no, I’m fine,” Julie said as she sat up. “It was just a weird day at school, that’s all.”

“Wanna talk about it?” Alex said, suddenly appearing in the spot where Julie’s head laid just a few seconds before.

“No, no, it’s no big deal. It’s actually really stupid,” she bashfully said.

“Hey, if it’s bothering you it’s not stupid,” Luke replied. “This is what bandmates do- we’re there for each other, even for the small things.”

Julie looked to Reggie and Alex, both who were nodding enthusiastically, encouraging smiles on their faces.

“Okay, just promise not to laugh,” Julie urged. “I know it doesn’t matter, and Flynn keeps telling me that it’s fine, but...” she trailed off for a second, making brief eye contact with Luke, “I just feel so weird still having to be dance partners with Nick after I said no to him asking me out!”

The guys all deflated with a sigh of relief that nothing serious was going on, but their dismissal of the situation only got Julie more worked up as she kept talking.

“I still really like Nick as a friend! And he was totally cool with me saying no, but I can’t help but feel like he still wants more! But of course that’s not true, because he’s such a great guy and he knows that I still care about him, just not in that way. But what if he’s mad at me and is really good at hiding it?! What if-“

“Julie! Julie, calm down,” Luke said, holding his hands up to stop her from ranting any further.

Julie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her bandmates were all looking at her worriedly, just like they were when she first collapsed onto the couch. 

“Sorry!” she said sheepishly. “I would just hate to lose Nick as a friend after we’ve gotten so close recently. I hate that I made things awkward between us.”

“How do you know it’s awkward?” Alex asked from her side.

“I... I guess I don’t?” she said questioningly. “I just kind of assumed he would feel weird, but he really hasn’t said anything that makes it seem that way.”

“And you don’t feel uncomfortable being his dance partner, right?” Luke questioned.

“No! I mean, he’s not the best dancer out there, but he’s really fun and has been getting better each time.”

“Then it’s settled!” Luke clapped his hands together and smiled. “No one is uncomfortable and friendship always prevails!”

Julie warmly smiled back at him, “Yeah, you’re right. It’s not like we ever dated and then broke up, anyway. That would make things a bit more awkward.”

“Eh, not necessarily,” Reggie said distractedly from his spot at the window, still attempting to bring one of Julie’s dad’s daffodils through the glass. “Luke and Alex broke up and it’s never really been weird between them.”

The three teenagers around the couch froze. 

Julie looked to Luke, who was opening and closing his mouth with nothing coming out, looking increasingly panicked at Alex. She turned her head to look at the other boy, who didn’t seem to be faring much better, his cheeks a deep red and eyes widely staring at Reggie’s clueless back.

_ Luke and Alex? _ Julie wondered, glancing between the two rapidly, trying to make sense of what Reggie just said.  _ Maybe he just meant that the band split up before. _

But even as Julie thought it, she knew it was untrue. Her three friends cared about their band more than anything and would never have broken it up in the past, even for a short time. Ever since they first formed Sunset Curve, Luke had privately told her not long ago, the boys had become family to each other. And that feeling has never once wavered, even through death.

_ Family, _ they always said about one another. Never  _ brothers. _

_ Huh, _ Julie thought, a bunch of things clicking into place in her mind.

The way Luke and Alex’s hands naturally found each other when one of them was anxious, like it was a conditioned response. Alex’s quiet looks at Luke for approval whenever he was teased about Willie and his knowing smirk whenever he caught Julie looking at Luke for just a bit too long. 

Or that one time Flynn announced that Alex was her favorite of the group because he wasn’t a “boring straight white dude” like the others, and Luke loudly objected. At the time Julie had assumed that he took offense to the “boring” part of the description, but looking at him now, she wasn’t so sure.

“I… It- Reggie!” Luke twisted to look at his friend, who seemed oblivious to the crisis he had just caused within his bandmates. 

“What?” Reggie said as he turned around, one eye still squinted and tongue out in concentration.

His tongue quickly went back in and eye opened when he saw the looks on Luke and Alex’s faces, however.

“What? What did I say?”

“You just told Julie that Luke and I used to… you know,” Alex said, gesturing between the two of them.

“Yeah?” Reggie questioned. “Was I not supposed to?”

“Well it’s not like it’s a secret,” Luke began, still obviously flustered, before turning around to face Julie again. “And we’re way past that! Like, it was  _ way  _ in the past, right Alex?”

“Yeah!” Alex exclaimed, nodding frantically at what Luke was saying. “Almost three decades in the past, if you really think about it.”

Luke pointed at Alex to emphasize his point, eyes never leaving Julie. 

“It was just a short thing, only a couple months, actually. We just-”

“Realized we were better off as friends, you know?” Alex picked up.

“And it’s never been weird between us! We would never let it come in between the band, Julie, you have to believe us.”

“Like, we both came in to practice the day after we broke up and it was totally fine! No picking sides, no crying, nothing!”

“If anything it brought us closer as friends, having that shared history.”

“Yep! Now we can tell each other anything and totally trust each other.”

“Not that we don’t totally trust you, too! Because we definitely do!”

“Yeah! We just didn’t tell you before because-”

“It never came up! We were never trying to hide it from you, I swear Julie!”

“It just never seemed like the right time to talk about it, and since it doesn’t really affect anything-”

“We just let it go, I guess!” Luke finished, sitting back from where he had leaned progressively closer and closer to Julie’s face as he and Alex ranted on.

Julie raised an eyebrow, glancing at Alex on her side before looking behind Luke at Reggie, who looked like a deer caught in headlights, clearly unaware that his friends had been so worried about disclosing their past relationship. She gave him a small smirk and watched as he subtly relaxed, clearly able to predict what Julie was about to do next.

“Well…” Julie said with a straight face, leaning back so she could see both Luke and Alex at once, “I guess I just have one question.”

“Anything, Julie,” Luke said, looking like he was about to burst from pent-up anxiety over the situation.

“Yeah, we can answer any questions you have, anytime,” Alex added sincerely.

“I guess I just want to know…” Julie trailed off before breaking into a grin, “who asked out who?”

“What?” Luke startled, clearly not expecting that response.

“At first I thought it would be Luke because you’re always the frontman and not really afraid of anything, but then I remembered how much of a romantic Alex is and how he probably had some extravagant prom-posal situation that no one in their right mind could say no to.”

“Prom-posal?” Reggie muttered to himself, going back to the window to resume his earlier task.

“Wait wait wait,” Alex waved his hands, “you’re not upset?”

“No?” Julie awkwardly chuckled, “Why would I be?”

“Because we didn’t tell you!” Luke exclaimed, still worked up. “We should be able to tell each other everything but we didn’t because- because…”

“We were afraid of how you’d react,” Alex said quietly, averting his eyes to the floor.

“Guys,” Julie said softly, making them both look up at her warm face, “I don’t care that you used to date or that you didn’t tell me. Like you said, it’s in the past and it never came up before, but it did now and I’m happy I know. Thanks for telling me.”

She smiled lovingly at the pair. After a quick glance at each other, they both began to deflate, clearly believing what she had said.

“Come on, group hug time!” she pulled the boys in, squeezing them tight to make sure they knew just how much she really did love them.

“Oooh I wanna join!” Julie heard Reggie squeal as he poofed over to their huddle, quickly throwing his arms around the whole group.

They stayed that way for a minute, just enjoying each other’s company, before Julie broke the silence.

“So, you never answered my question.”

“What question?” said Luke as the hug broke apart, a content smile still on his face.

“Who asked out who?” Julie’s question was met with two groans and a knowing cackle from Reggie, making her smile that much wider. “That good of a story, huh?”

“Nope!” Alex said as he stood up and began walking toward his drum set, “It’s a super boring story, actually! You would hate hearing it, trust me.”

“What he said!” Luke added unconvincingly, “It’s really long and tedious and we would all be so much better just moving past it and starting rehearsal. Like. Right now.”

Luke bolted by Reggie to the songs still lying out on the piano, quickly gathering them into his arms in a messy pile.

Julie turned to Reggie, the two sharing a conspiratory smile as Alex and Luke started setting up with as much noise as possible.

“Hey Reggie,” Julie failed to suppress a smile, “you want to go on a little walk with me before we start practicing?”

“Why Julie,” Reggie held out an elbow, allowing her to pop out of her seat to lock arms with him, “I would love to.”

They made their way outside as the other two began playing their instruments as loudly as possible, but a quick closing of the door muffled the noise considerably.

“Let me tell you a little story, young Julie,” Reggie said as they slowly made their way down the driveway, “about two boys, a rogue beehive, an Arby’s parking lot, and a lifetime of regrets. It all started one day...”

**Author's Note:**

> harass me on tumblr pls: @lindsay-jones


End file.
